Thanks to Susan who proofed this chapter, all remaining mistakes are mine. :)

Chapter 7

Yes, she wants them to be together, but she was not alone in this. Was one of the many bewildered thoughts Stephanie had right after her meeting Ricardo.

"Uhmm, yes I want that, but there is a lot to talk about. Maybe you don't want me anymore when you know everything, and I think you should take a few steps back, so then maybe I can think."

/

When that door opened and revealed his Babe, he first thought he was hallucinating. Now he knows from where he knew her face, his dreams! Christ, she was beautiful and just as irresistible as when he had first met her. He also comprehended now why he did not recognize her right away, when they had met, she had curly hair, he had dreamed of her with that wild and sexy hair. The night they spent so long ago, the best night of his life is what that was, he had to admit that to himself and leave her be.

She was married, married to a colleague, a brother in arms; he should stay clear of her. Could he do that now he had finally found her? Damn, she was everything he wanted in a woman; he wanted her. Nobody but her! She was just as affected as he was, he could see she recognized him too. It makes him sad to think he was too late, and he didn't do sad. However, it seems he did. Before he knew it, he walked over towards her, feeling that now decipherable tingle in his body he only got with her, that must be because he had never experienced it before. His voice had a life on its own when it said that what he felt in his heart, that now he had finally found her, she was married, never to be his.

Then she dropped a happy bomb on him. Could he be so lucky? After all, the dark things he had done and seen in this world. The darkness, loneliness, and pain, the skeletons and scars of his past, which had left him feeling worthless in the eyes of society and God, maybe this is absolution. Would he get a chance to spend his life with her? He realized he had been looking for her, albeit unconsciously. He had never felt as complete in his life as now, just sharing her space. Pathetic as it was, it is how he felt.

Leaning forward he smelled her scent, he almost licked her delectable neck but he decided not to, but do as intended, he whispered in her ear. Gathering courage, he wanted to know what it meant for them. He desperately wanted there to be 'them'.

He almost laughed aloud in relief, when she asked if there would be a chance of them being together. Oh sweet Stephanie, she had no idea what effect she had on him. He would walk to hell and back to experience what he had been dreaming of since he met her.

He really wanted her to know he was sincere, looking into those expressive eyes of hers, he knew she was. He could not get enough of her lovely face; he looked at her wanting to imprint her features into his long-term memory, so he could never forget. He promised himself to honor, love and respect her for all his life if she would have him. If he had his way, this face would be the first he saw when he woke up in the morning and the last when he went to sleep. He had never felt he was ready for a relationship of any kind, but now he was, with her, his Babe. He knew he had to be honest and speak with his heart and so he did. He told her how he wanted to be with her, that he had been looking for her since they last saw each other, now he wanted to know if there is a real possibility for them to be together and if she wanted that too.

Please, please let it happen! It was as if he could read her like a book, but not one, he was particular familiar with. The emotions and thoughts were evident on her face, it ranged from elation, tenderness, lust, annoyance, fear, hope, doubt, to sadness. Before she spoke and hesitantly admitted, she wants us to have a future but we would have to talk. He could see that was reasonable, of course, they needed to talk, but the way she said it made him wonder about what, why would he not want her if they talked about everything? He could not imagine what it would take, not to want her. He knew she was married but separated from her husband. That is all he knew of her, if he really thought about it, their conversation and especially the subject of their conversation was insane. He was glad he was not alone in this madness; he would happily join her in an institution for the mentally impaired, if necessary. Concentrate Carlos! Does she have kids? Is she afraid he would not want her if she had children? Wow, would he mind? Did he want a child? Did he want to raise the child of another man? He had always denied himself that thought, be it of another man or his, because of his former occupation, and current lifestyle, and of course, he did not have the partner that instilled the wish to propagate in him. He had had plenty of practice trying though.

Deep down in his heart he knew he would like to have children, but only with Stephanie. In his dreams, he had seen little girls with wild curly hair, and a boy looking like him, loving him unconditionally, accepting him just as he was. That would be a luxury, he had never experienced. Not even with his parents. However, this would be the child of another man could he live with that? He did not know, but he could not live without her so taking on her children who are part of her, seemed natural and acceptable.

Then when she asks him if he would remove himself out of her personal space because she cannot think otherwise, he could have kissed her silly she was so sweet. He was grateful for her inability to withstand him as for her to be as affected as he was, gave him hope, but about what was she so worried.

He motioned to the couch, suddenly sobered by her words. They set down and he asked, "what is it Babe? What is it you have to tell me?" She shifted, squared her shoulders, and started talking to her hands in her lap. Fuck this must be a serious problem.

"I don't know where to begin." Is what she said, he lifted her face so he could see her eyes maybe that would give him a clue. When he saw her strut her stuff that morning he would never have guessed that woman could be anything but confident. However, here she was with worry in her eyes. What happened?

"How about beginning where we left off all those years ago, I am curious how you ended up married to Hawk." He said to ease her.

"If I do that, we will be right in the heart of the matter." Hearing her answer left him more than intrigued.

"Please, just tell me, there is nothing you can tell me that would scare me off, except you staying married to Hawk that is." He meant that, he would be gone and live in Miami very soon if that was what she was going to tell him. There was no way he would stay there, even if they would have some kind of relationship. Come on now just tell me, I'm dying here. Hell, she is looking at her hands again. Abruptly she looked up and squarely into his eyes at that.

"I married him because I was pregnant with your baby." She blurted, watching his reaction keenly. WHAT, his baby?

"We... we have a baby?" He stuttered, his mind went blank for a second or two or…

"Well he is no baby anymore, he's nine now." He could hear her say that somewhere in the distance. He had a child…a boy…nine years old. He Ricardo Carlos Mañoso had a child… a son. He felt his mouth transform into a smile that kept growing larger by the second. He has a son! He could not believe it, but it must be true, her face had lit up like a Christmas tree watching him smile. That was it, she was afraid he would reject him. As if he could reject the best gift, he had ever received. He has a son.

"What's he like, does he look like me? His name, what's the name you gave him?" He rambled, wanting to know every single detail of his son's life, but did not know what to ask first. My god, they had a child together, she was going to be his, all his.

She smiled and laughed, happiness now filling her beautiful eyes. "Yes he looks like you; in fact he is your spitting image, which is the reason I recognized you immediately. He is the most wonderful boy there is on this earth, he is loving, clever, vibrant, amiable to others, as I have told him often he the best little boy that ever was."

"He is all that huh." He grinned with pride.

Her facial expression changed to annoyance, oh. "Oh yes he is and more. His name is Rick for Ricardo, as you had told me your name was, I feel quite the fool now, Carlos." That Carlos was no endearment he could tell. He was glad he did not lie; in Newark as in his family and friends, they still called him Ricardo or Rick. In the army they called him Carlos, with four Rick's in his Ranger's training program he thought it practical to take his second name for distinction. She was beautiful when she was angry though.

"No need to be angry here Babe, my name is Ricardo, all my family calls me so. I became Carlos the day I started Rangers training, which is my second name. It seems that Ricardo or Rick was a popular name for my age group. My full name is Ricardo Carlos Mañoso."

"Oh." Was all she said, but she looked contrite.

"Please Stephanie, don't worry, I can understand why you were confused." He felt that smile coming back. He was a lucky man, now he just hoped Hawk was going to take this well.

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